Because some folks have asked: The Impact of Health Care Reform on Older Adults

[izzybeans]

The Gerontological Society of America has published a summary of how the health care reform bills will impact older adults. http://www.geron.org/HCRprovisions.pdf

I mentioned the Class Act before, but his also has a clear summary of how Medicare Advantage will change etc.

Snip:

H.R. 3590 contains several beneficial Medicare provisions. It will:
o Provide a 50 percent discount on brand-name drugs and biologics filled in the Medicare Part D coverage gap (doughnut hole) for enrollees with incomes below $85,000 per individual and $170,000 per couple;*
o Eliminate Part D cost-sharing for full-benefit dual eligible beneficiaries receiving home- and community-based services;
o Reduce the Medicare Part D coverage gap (doughnut hole) by $500 in 2010 (2010 only);*
o Cover, with no co-payment or deductible, an annual wellness visit and creation of a personalized prevention assessment and plan. Prevention services include referrals to education and preventive counseling or community-based interventions to address risk factors.
o Tie Medicare Part D premiums to income, and will move more Part B and Part D beneficiaries into higher-income categories — meaning higher premiums —due to a freeze on thresholds.*
* NOTE: Medicare Part D (e.g. closure of the Medicare Part D doughnut hole) and Medicare Advantage payment provisions will be modified by the Reconciliation Act of 2010 (H.R. 4872) if passed by the Senate.
Insurance Reforms
• Six months after enactment, insurance companies can no longer deny children coverage based on a preexisting condition.
• Starting in 2014, insurance companies cannot deny coverage to anyone with preexisting conditions.
• Effective six months after enactment, insurance companies must allow dependents up to age 26 to remain covered on their parents’ insurance plans.

[virgogal]

1. The Medicare Part D premiums to income etc. has me confused.

(It is the fifth one listed)

I do not have Part D but do have Part B and it looks like I'm going to be payings higher premiums.

I may be misinterpreting this but I certainly don't need any more expenses.

Thanks a lot Congress.

[izzybeans]

4. I'm not sure if the Reconciliation act changed that or not

They have the section marked as if it would be. So I have no idea.

[Bluenorthwest]

2. Much of this information is about children

and much of the rest of it is incomplete. Why is that?

[izzybeans]

3. In the document I see four or five lines related to children.

The rest was just what they saw that related to their constituents.